Kitchen Fire Suppression Systems: What Restaurant Owners Need to Know

Restaurants often present higher risks of fire emergencies mainly because fire is the key medium used in a majority of food preparation processes. Studies reveal that more than half of the reported cases of restaurant fires are caused by cooking equipment. To ensure that the workers, assets and customers are protected against the risks of kitchen fires, most restaurants today invest in quality kitchen fire suppression systems.

Compared to other fire suppression alternatives like fire blankets and fire extinguishers, kitchen fire suppression systems are proven to be more effective. The main reason for that is because they can automatically active prompt and effective response, thereby putting out fires safely and faster. To get the most of this system in your restaurant, it is important that you also know how it operates, its applications, benefits and, how to choose the right one.

How a Kitchen Fire Suppression System Works

A kitchen fire suppression system is installed in the cooker hood or inside the cupboards in the kitchen, which also helps with conserving space. The system is aimed at protecting cooking equipment like deep fryers, chip pans, hobs and kitchen staff during fire emergencies. A kitchen fire suppression system works in two main ways to safely extinguish fires before they spread.

The system is designed with heat sensors programmed to detect any abnormal temperatures in the kitchen. Whenever a fire is detected, the sensors will trigger the system’s nozzles to discharge wet chemicals for extinguishing the flames. The wet chemicals in the system are carefully engineered to immediately ‘blanket’ the flames and suck oxygen from the burning materials, forcing the fire to stop. The system will also trip; cutting the gas supply to the cooking appliances that instantly eliminates the fuel source.

The fire suppression approach taken by this system ensures that kitchen fires are safely extinguished without causing interference with other cooking stations. Kitchen fire suppression systems also have hoods at the top to automatically drive out smoke from the kitchen. That could significantly reduce the chances of accidents to workers whenever fires start in the kitchen.

Besides, the prompt and effective response of kitchen fire suppression systems also reduces food wastage since not much will be destroyed in the fire.

Advantages of Kitchen Fire Suppression Systems

There are many reasons why restaurant owners are advised to install kitchen fire suppression systems on their premises. The following are some of the advantages of a kitchen fire suppression system.

Automatic fire detection and response

Perhaps, this is the main reason behind the growing popularity of kitchen fire suppression systems in restaurants. Due to their automated fire detection and response capabilities ensures that fires are stopped before any serious threats of accidents or structural damage.

Less interruption to business activities

With a system that can immediately detect and extinguish kitchen fires, you will not have to disrupt all business operations whenever a fire occurs. Besides, the system can safely put out fires in specific areas of the kitchen or cooking appliances without affecting other cooking equipment and processes.

Choosing Kitchen Fire Suppression Systems for your Restaurant

Although kitchen fire suppression systems are undoubtedly the most essential fire protection systems for restaurants, do not just buy any system that you come across in the market. One of the things that you should consider when buying a kitchen fire suppression system for your restaurant is the fire extinguishing agent. Wet chemical is the most preferred since it can effectively extinguish a wide range of kitchen fires.

However, the system can also comprise of other fire suppression agents for putting out different kinds of fires in kitchen including electrical fires. When buying the system, you should also consider the areas or appliances in the kitchen that should be protected from fire. You need a kitchen fire suppression system that can properly cover all the potential fire threats therein. That means you should look into the size and performance of the system.

If you are not familiar with kitchen fire suppression systems, choosing the right one for your restaurant could be challenging. Engaging a fire safety professional can provide the necessary assistance to enable you get the most suitable and efficient kitchen fire suppression system for your restaurant without a lot of stress.                                                                                         

Fire Safety Singapore offers quality fire suppression systems, fire safety products and QP consultancy services for restaurants and other commercial establishments in Singapore.